Illegal immigrant who murdered California cop gets plea deal

Virgen Mendoza was sentenced to life without parole

By Paul Best | Fox News

Paulo Virgen Mendoza, a 33-year-old Mexican national in the country illegally, pleaded guilty Thursday to murdering a California police officer nearly two years ago. He was sentenced to life without parole.

Virgen Mendoza shot and killed 33-year-old Cpl. Ronil Singh, an immigrant born in Fiji, after being pulled over for suspected drunk driving early Dec. 26, 2018.

The district attorney’s office said earlier this year that it would seek the death penalty if Virgen Mendoza was convicted.

This booking photo provided by the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department shows Paulo Virgen Mendoza. Mendoza, suspected of gunning down a California policeman, was in the U.S. illegally and was captured while planning to flee to his native Mexico. (Courtesy of Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department via AP)

“The one fortunate thing for you, sir, is you are not going to be facing the death penalty, but you will never see the light of day outside the prison walls based on this conviction,” Ricardo Cordova, the presiding Stanislau County judge, said at the hearing.

Singh’s widow, Anamika Singh, said she thinks Mendoza deserved the death penalty, but would accept life without parole.

She brought her young child, who was just 5 months when his dad was killed, to the witness stand but took him back eventually because he was crying.

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